MyAppleMenu

The Store-Standard Edition Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Apple Says Its App Store Prevented Over $2B In Fraudulent Transactions Last Year, by Aisha Malik, TechCrunch

Apple’s App Store prevented over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions last year, the tech giant touted in a press release on Tuesday. The company says it rejected nearly 1.7 million app submissions in 2022 for failing to meet the App Store’s standards for privacy and security.

The press release comes as Apple faces a continued push to open up iPhones and iPads to third-party app stores. Last year, the European Union passed the Digital Markets Act that will go into effect in 2024 and force Big Tech companies to allow alternative app stores on their platforms, giving developers a choice in app distribution and users the ability to download apps from different sources.

Apple Park WWDC 2023 Viewing Event To Include Special 'Ring' Tour, Evening Activity And Extended Developer Sessions, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The 2023 Apple Park event that select developers have been invited to attend will include tours of the campus, special extra long developer sessions, and an evening activity, all of which are new compared to the event that Apple held last year.

Stuff

You Can Now Discover Concerts And Check Out Set Lists On Apple Music, by Matt Mullen, MusicRadar

Apple Music users are now able to browse artists' upcoming shows in their area by hitting a button within the app that launches Shazam's concert discovery service.

Apple Support App Overhauled With New Layout, Quicker Access To Nearby Providers, More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple is rolling out a notable update to the Apple Support app for iPhone and iPad today. The update brings a revamped layout that makes it easier to manage your activity, expands the app to new regions, and more.

Pocket Is Getting A Redesigned iOS App, by Jay Peters, The Verge

Reader app Pocket is launching a redesigned version of its iOS app, Pocket owner Mozilla announced on Tuesday. The revamped app has a focus on a new Home tab that’s designed to be a “starting off point for visiting everything in Pocket, from your saved content to the articles we think you’ll love,” according to a blog post.

Halide Creators Launch 'Skylight' For iPhone To Predict Spectacular Sunsets, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Ever wish you could know what kind of lighting conditions to expect at the end of the day? A new app from the makers of Halide and Spectre is here to deliver just that. Skylight for iPhone offers forecasts for golden hour, sunset, and afterglow with a thoughtful and beautiful UI.

“How Do We Get Every Second Of Your Day?”: The New York Times Goes All In On A New Podcast App, by Charlotte Klein, Vanity Fair

The app is a home for the Times’ growing audio empire, from new shows across the news and opinion sections, to Serial, which the company acquired in 2020, to its purchase of Audm, the service that turns news articles into audio, to establishing a strategic partnership with This American Life.

PSA: Older Wemo Smart Plugs Have Vulnerability That Leaves Them Open To Attack, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Belkin told Sternum that it has no plans to update the Wemo Mini Smart Plug V2 because it is at the end of its life after four years and has been replaced with newer models. That leaves many potential Belkin customers vulnerable, as there are likely many of these smart plugs being used in the wild.

Notes

Final Cut Pro Changes Everything And Nothing About The iPad, by Dan Moren, Macworld

The idea of a device that works as a Mac while connected to a keyboard and an iPad while detached might seem like an unholy Frankstein’s toaster fridge to some, but after 13 years of the iPad, I’d argue that people are pretty comfortable with going back and forth between two (or more) separate devices with different interfaces. Why not find a way to consolidate them? In a world where we’ve started to talk about smartphones that fold out into tablets, a tablet that can turn into a laptop hardly sounds farfetched. What we’re all looking for, ultimately, is the right tool for the job.

ChatGPT Scams Are Infiltrating The App Store And Google Play, by Lily Hay Newman, Wired

Today, researchers from the security firm Sophos are warning that the latest incarnation of this is showing up in Google Play and Apple’s App Store, where scammy apps are pretending to offer access to OpenAI’s chatbot service ChatGPT through free trials that eventually start charging subscription fees.

Bottom of the Page

Apple TV+ need to commission a new travel documentary series that is basically Tim Cook and Jony Ive walking around Apple Park, telling us what everything is. Do this before both of them retire.

~

Thanks for reading.